Hope for the Caregiver

Pastor learns about laundry and other chores while wife cares for mother.

A pastor called the show to talk about his mother-in-law's declining health and her spiritual condition, but the conversation quickly returned to him better caring for his wife by tackling the laundry, cooking, and cleaning. 

 

1. Washing clothes (with fabric softener, bleach or color-guard detergents) is not that complicated. Separating clothes by color doesn't require much training and practice. Folding laundry is not only a simple task—it can even be done while watching sports.

Garment manufacturers go to the trouble of placing labels in their products. Reading those labels requires little if any effort. If there is any doubt on a blouse, skirt, pants or dress belonging to your wife, put it aside and take it to the cleaners—but by all means learn how to properly wash those items at another time. Don't overfill the washer or dryer, and always clean the lint tray of the dryer before starting a new load. A dryer sheet is not only inexpensive, it's easy to toss into the dryer and helps soften the clothes, reduce wrinkles and static cling, and improves the smell of clothes.

2. A short distance away, the dishwasher can be emptied and loaded with dirty dishes in only minutes, and is one of the simplest machines to operate. Simply scrape off food and so forth, and place the dishes in the washer in a way that corresponds with the shape of the rack. Glasses usually go up on top, and try to not to wedge glass material in too tight. The goal is not to win the award for the most dishes fitted inside, but to allow them to be properly cleaned. With a myriad of cleaning products, counters and appliances can be quickly (and thoroughly) cleaned, and grabbing a broom, the floor (and specifically under the cabinets) can be effectively policed and ready for mopping.

3. The bathrooms and other areas of the home are just as easy to clean, and only require a commitment to serve as a good steward for the castle where one lives.

4. Grocery shopping is not hard; you simply make a list. If your budget needs it, use coupons and buy generic. If you spend $500 on your first trip to the grocery store, you probably went a bit overboard. Vegetables, cooking/baking supplies, cleaning supplies, paper products, meat, dairy, juice are the main things you will buy, and most grocery stores lay those products out in an organized fashion. Familiarize yourself with what's in the pantry, cleaning supplies' closet, and under the kitchen sink—and replace what needs replacing. 

5. Cooking can be as joyful or as miserable as you choose for it to be. When it comes to preparing a meal, many guys opt for fast food, pizza or, at best, car-side to go from a favorite local restaurant. That's acceptable only in a pinch, but not to be bragged about like a mighty hunter who bagged a deer and brought it home draped across the shoulders.

Planning a meal requires just that: planning. Think about a favorite dish, and then make it. If you can imagine a dish, there's already a recipe online. Don't simply do steaks and potatoes with a sliver of broccoli. Make a well-balanced, heart-healthy meal. Orient yourself with the spice cabinet and the pantry, and remember where things go. Silverware has a place, and so do all the cooking utensils. Set the table properly, and after dinner—make sure the kitchen is thoroughly cleaned. 

6. The iron is not a mystical or enchanted appliance. It has limited settings that correspond to the label inside the garment. Adjust the settings as needed, and then place the iron on the garment and move back and forth until wrinkles disappear. Steam can be used as needed (with distilled water found on the bottled water aisle of the grocery store), but if you see smoke—you're doing it wrong. Spray starch (look in the laundry room/cabinet) is effective when ironing shirts or other cotton or cotton/blend clothing. 

7. Change the bed, put out clean towels, vacuum, mop and take out the trash. If your wife is taking care of her parents or working a stressful job, this is a great way to care for her. For teenagers/students living at home, don't wait to be asked—look for things to do.    

With a massive number of caregivers for vulnerable loved ones, everyone will need to step up their game and pull together. If you aren't serving as a caregiver, then you can at least care for the one who is. 

 

 

 

Caregiver Tip of the Day: Judge Yourself Fairly

All too many caregivers judge themselves without mercy - all we see are our mistakes. But if we're going to judge ourselves (and I don't recommend that we do), let's at least judge ourselves fairly.  That means if we berate ourselves for our performance record ...then we need to also judge ourselves by our attendance record - which is flawless.  We keep showing up.

Now, once we've established that "showing up" has value, let's see if we can't work on showing up without feeling miserable. 

 

Happy Healthy Caregiver: An interview with Elizabeth Miller

Elizabeth Miller of HappyHealthyCaregiver.com

@HHCaregiver

Discussing her journey and her work to help family caregivers. 

Also, check out the Caregiving Conference in Nov. 

https://www.caregiving.com/ncc19/ 

Hope for the Caregiver 02-03-2019

From our radio show.

Features

• Caregiver Tip of the Day
• Today's Senior Moment
• The Count of Mighty Disco, John Butler

Special Guest: 

Elizabeth Miller of HappyHealthyCaregiver.com

@HHCaregiver

Discussing her journey and her work to help family caregivers. 

Also, check out the Caregiving Conference in Nov. 

https://www.caregiving.com/ncc19/ 

 

A Line In the Sand for Life 02-2-2019

Hope for the Caregiver broadcast February 2-2019.  

 

Text from Peter's Blog at www.hopeforthecaregiver.com 

From one geographical extreme to another, American state assemblies strode into the viability and quality of life issue in groundbreaking ways during January. Starting with Hawaii’s new Our Choice Our Care Act launched on January 1, 2019, medically-assisted death marched closer to being considered ‘normal.’  Before January ended, New York legislators applauded the new freedom extended to the state allowing late term abortions via the Reproductive Health Act.

A common thread weaves through the move by both states.  An ambiguity, one could say an arbitrary line in the sand, presents itself through both actions regarding viability.  Hawaii allows patients deemed to die within six months to end their life with medical assistance.

Who sets the date?

Yet why six months? What group decided that six months is the cut off for a life to possess meaning rather than, say, seven months and thirteen days? 

In New York, the health of the mother is a factor. A Virginia legislator already introduced the dialogue of health applying to mental health. New York allows non-physicians to perform abortions.  Will those non-physicians assume responsibility for evaluating the mental health of the mother?

Troubling Questions About Viability

These and other unsettling questions indicate a rush to an agenda rather than to medical reality. If government can designate life as ‘qualified to terminate’ if less than six months remain, when will they adjust that line? If a child is deemed unable to exist outside the womb without care at 8 months and 28 days, can that line be moved to 9 months.  What about ten months?

Listen to the podcast ...and read the rest of the article. 

Your Caregiver Minute: Take Time For Stillness

Noise bombards us every day.  From 24-hour cables news, to traffic, to our mobile devices, we are inundated with a wall of noise that seems to keep so many of us in a state of agitation.  For Caregivers, taking a moment to sit quietly and settle our hearts down …seems nearly impossible …but it’s critical for us to just that.

You see, if we don’t take time for stillness …we’re going to have to make time for illness. The constant state of anxiety, stress, and sensory overload we experience as caregivers will eventually make us sick.  Stress kills.  The way we push back on this ….is to carve out some time where we can just be still and quiet.  Prayer, meditation, or just clearing our frenetic thoughts …it all helps re-boot our minds and hearts …and allows us to be a little calmer in the caregiver storm we navigate.

Brought to you by: 

Chaplain Henry Davidson discusses Inmate Prosthetic Limb Recycling Program

Seven years ago, Standing With Hope launched a program - the only one of it's kind in the world - where inmates helped disassemble donated used prosthetic limbs in order to recycle the parts. Standing With Hope is the presenting sponsor of HOPE FOR THE CAREGIVER.  Founded by Gracie and Peter Rosenberger, Standing With Hope has two program areas:

1. A prosthetic limb outreach to amputees in Ghana, West Africa
2. An outreach (HOPE FOR THE CAREGIVER) to family caregivers ( world-wide)

CoreCivic manages and owns private prisons and detention centers around the country, and hosts many faith-based programs within those facilities.   Standing With Hope is one of those programs located at the Metro Davidson County Detention Centers ( Nashville)

Chaplain Henry Davidson (Pictured with Gracie and shop manager Ms Clayton) called the show and shared the value of this and other programs in helping inmates turn their lives around.  The success rate is astonishing, and the program has a far reaching impact. 

Chaplain Davidson is one of my favorite people in the whole world. His passion for wounded and broken lives is evident in the first moments of meeting him. He and his wife also serve as chaplains for the Metro Nashville Police Department.  

If your company is interested in working with CoreCivic to hire inmates who want to prove they can return to society, rebuild their lives, and make a positive contribution ...please click here to learn more and contact CoreCivic.